THE CRYPTOGRAPHIC CARTOUCHE OF NECTANEBO II FROM THE GREAT TEMPLE OF PR-BASTT

Abstract

(En) Rosenow refers to unusual cartouches discovered in the Nectanebo II temple at "Tell Basta" were written in cryptographic form,and suggests these cartouches may be for Nectanebo 's name "Nxt-Hr-Hbt-mry-In-Hr-sA-BAstt ",but the deities into these cartouches not the same ,this notice attracted my attention to study these cartouches and other fragments that were found in the same area and compares them with others for the same king. so this paper introduces the cryptography system that used in reading these cartouches, also it interprets the religious and political reasons that caused the king's name be written by this way.Also this research reveals How the first cryptographic cartouche of Nectanebo includes The Bubastis triad,and, and How The second cartouches mixed the Memphite triad with Bubastis triad.these cartouches shows The existence of Nectanebo among the deities as a potent and magician god, suggests he established for himself a special royal cult for his statues and a new royal cult for his royal name. probably he devoted for this latter cult a priesthood doing the cult rituals for his name whither in its cryptographic form or in its usual form.Also this paper refers that Nectanebo II also utilised cryptography on his cult statues that were found in Memphis and Heliopolis. These can now be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art under No. 34.2.1. and in the Musée du Louvre under No.E III52. These statues show the king as a small figure standing between the claws of the falcon god Horus. This corresponds to the fact that Nectanebo II had a royal cult that included priests who served his statues that bore the name of Nxt-1r-Hbyt-pA-bik, "Nectanebo the falcon".Nectanebo cult statues show that his name consists of three elements: The falcon has the phonetic value 1r and embodied the protection and legitimacy for the king at the same time.The sword that is in his left hand called nxt,"power",and in his right hand Hb(t) sign.So, it seems that Nectanebo had established another special cult for himself in Bubastis, which was the cult of his royal cartouche "Nxt-1r-Hbyt-mry-in-Hr-sA-BAstt", and had a priesthood attend to this cartouche and carry out the rituals for his own sacred name. Therefore, Bubastis was a site with this unique sort of worshipping.so Nectanebo created for himself a special divine magical personality, Through it Egypt enjoyed with a few peaceful years, which helped him to carry out a lot of his buildings projects, he finished six temples in Delta at least and in Middle and Upper Egypt he achieved more buildings whether new or renew, in addition to numerous chapels, obelisks and naoi, in the attempt to bring back the glory of the previous periods.the two cartouches reflect some important events, as well as some features of Nectanebo’s personality. Nectanebo was the nephew of Tachos (Teos),a king who had been defeated by a Persian army in Phoenicia, so Nectanebo returned back to Egypt and seized the throne in the stead of the legitimate king.it is evident that Nectanebo was not a legitimate king but a usurper, so some army leaders opposed him and chose a prince descended from the royal house in Mendes to become king, but Nectanebo put an end to this rebellion against his authority and defeated the prince of Mendes, thus becoming the sole ruler of Egypt. (Ar) أشارتRosenow إلى خراطيش غير معتادة أکتشفت في معبد نختانبو الثاني في تل بسطة, وقد کتبت بطريقة الکتابة المعماة, ورجحت أن هذه الخراطيش ربما تشير إلى اسم الملک نختانبو الثاني"Nxt-Hr-Hbt-mry-In-Hr-sA-BAstt", لکن المعبودات المصورة داخل تلک الخراطيش غير متماثلة جذبت تلک الملحوظة اهتمامي لدراسة تلک الخراطيش والبقايا المشابهة لها التي عثر عليها بنفس المنطقة, ومقارنتها بخراطيش أخرى للملک نختانبو وبالتالي يهدف هذا البحث إلى تقديم نظام القراءة المعماة (الغامضة) المستخدم في کتابة هذه الخراطيش الفريدة المميزة, ومن خلاله يفسر البحث الأسباب الدينية والسياسية التي جعلت اسم الملک يکتب بهذه الطريقة, ويکشف البحث أيضاً عن ثالوث تل بسطة الذي حواه الخرطوش الأول, ذاک الخرطوش الذي يتضمن في نفس الوقت الانجازات المعمارية الأکثر أهمية للملک, مثل معبد أنوريس في سمنود, ومعبد حور في بهبيت الحجارة, ومعبد باستت في تل باسطة, بينما يمزج الخرطوش الثاني بين ثالوث منف وثالوث تل بسطة.

Keywords

• nectanebo
• cartouches
• cryptographic
• tell basta
• triad
• deities
• onuris